Utilizing Clustering Technique to Enhance Students’ English Writing Performance

Abstract

This present study aims at exploring the utilization of the clustering technique to enrich students’ performance in writing a descriptive text in English, discovering students’ participation in learning-teaching descriptive text writing using the clustering technique, and finding out the improvement of students’ English writing performance using the clustering technique. This research implies a Mixed-Method Action Research design where researchers act as teachers. The respondents consisted of 30 Vocational High School students. This research uses qualitative and quantitative data. The qualitative data were obtained by observing the learning-teaching process of writing descriptive text using the clustering technique and interviewing students. Quantitative data were acquired through the pre-test, post-test I, and post-test II. The results show that implementing the clustering technique in the learning-teaching process enriches students’ performance and attracts students’ participation, attention, activeness, motivation, and seriousness in learning English writing. Pre-test and post-tests prove that the clustering technique enhances students’ English writing performance. The technique helps students to express ideas in English text writing. Students gain 67.49 in the pre-test, up to 75 in the post-test I, and up to 79.87 in the post-test II. The mean improvement percentage shows about 16.6% enhancement from the pre-test, 36.6% from the post-test I, and 86.6% from the post-test II.

Applying Clustering Technique to Improve Creative Writing Skills for Junior High School Students in Descriptive Text

“…The results of both researches pointed that the average score of each was significantly increased up to 85, passing through the minimum standard of competence in writing. Secondly, this techniques applied to teach descriptive text at junior high school, done by Abidin (2022) and Lestari, et al, (2022). The average score was up to 79.0, definitely the students were creatively developing the ideas into a text and worked confidently with no hesitation to write.…”